Cadmus award winner announced

In honor of his outstanding contributions to the internal audit profession, James Kaplan, CIA, was awarded by The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) with the prestigious Bradford Cadmus Memorial Award during The IIA's 2007 International Conference, held in Amsterdam this week. Initiated in 1965, the award is named after The IIA's first managing director and recognizes internal audit practitioners for research, academic involvement, article and book publication, and other thought-leading pursuits.

"I'm honored to recognize Mr. Kaplan for his innovation and dedication to our profession," said IIA Chairman of the Board Stephen D. Goepfert, CIA. "He has been an inspiration to auditors around the world by speaking, writing, and encouraging use of the Internet as an audit tool and discovering new ways to leverage the Internet to benefit the profession."

Kaplan has been an internal auditor for more than 26 years and is the founder of AuditNet.org, an Internet portal used by thousands of auditors each month to foster the development of modern internal auditing around the world. AuditNet has provided the global audit community with audit programs and guides, links to more than 1,300 audit-related Web sites, career guidance, and more since 1995.

Prior to retiring from Fairfax County Government in 2005 after 19 years of service, Kaplan worked for Fairfax County Public Schools and Arlington County. During this time, he represented the profession on the National Intergovernmental Audit Forum and served as a volunteer reviewer for the Association of Government Accountants Service Efforts and Accomplishments initiative. While at Fairfax County, he was awarded Outstanding Performance Awards in 1995 and 1997 for his contributions.

Kaplan is the author of The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources and The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources 2nd Edition, published by The IIA, and has written for various publications, including Internal Auditing Alert and the Internet Bulletin for CPAs on audit uses of the Internet. He has pioneered using the Internet for auditing through his Web site and through speaking at conferences for internal auditors and accounting professionals and meetings for The IIA, ISACA, AICPA and others.

As an active IIA volunteer during the last 22 years, Kaplan has served at the global level as a member of the Communications Advisory and Membership Committees. At a local level, he has served IIA-Northern Virginia in various leadership roles, including chapter president, member of the board of governors, and professional development vice president.